Riding a five-game win streak, the Phoenix Suns (24-18, 7th in Western Conference) host the Chicago Bulls (21-23, 9th in Eastern Conference) tonight for their second meeting this season. The Suns have won 10 of their last 13 games after defeating the Indiana Pacers 117-110 last night, while the Bulls have won two straight and six of their last eight and are coming off a 125-96 blowout win over the Grizzlies Saturday. Phoenix will be without Eric Gordon (wrist), who has been in a little bit of a slump as of late. The Bulls will be without Zach LaVine for the ssecond straight game due to a right ankle sprain.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. MST
Location:Â Footprint Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 22, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -5.5
O/U:Â 226.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Grayson Allen (left knee soreness) QUESTIONABLE | Eric Gordon (right wrist soreness) OUT | Bol Bol (right foot sprain) OUT |Â Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine (right ankle sprain) OUT | Patrick Williams (right ankle sprain) AVAILABLE | Andre Drummond (low back spasms) AVAILABLE | Torrey Craig (right plantar fascia sprain) OUT | Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery) OUT
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Chicago Bulls:Â Coby White, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Don’t overlook opponent
- Not getting tired on second night of back to back
- Stay hot offensively
- Continue same play style: defense feeding into offense
- Don’t play at slow pace
Prediction
Suns 120 – Bulls 109
Without Zach LaVine, the Bulls become a much more defensive team. The Suns seem to be unaffected by whichever style their opponent plays on their win streak and have pretty much been able to impose their will. They will need to do that once again tonight and keep up their defensive effort, as they matchup pretty well against the Bulls in this area without LaVine. The Suns should not have any problem in this matchup; however, fatigue may be a factor on the second night of a back to back.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Nov. 8, 2023)
Phoenix Suns Survive Chicago Bulls in Overtime Thriller, Win 116-115
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Bulls before their second matchup of the season (via Suns):
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Team injury reports
Frank Vogel says health and defense are keys to Suns’ 5-game win streak
Preview: Key stories from win over Pacers
Frank Vogel says health and defense are keys to Suns’ 5-game win streak
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
